A Russian TV channel has published video footage of how two female police officers were overrun after they tried to break up a lockdown party in Anderlecht.
The crew from Russia24 were on patrol in Brussels with two female officers from the Midi police zone, which includes Anderlecht. Just before 8:00 PM on Friday evening, they responded to a call for noise nuisance on the Boulevard de la Révision.
Arriving at the address, they found the front door open, and followed the noise into the basement, where they found a room filled with people dancing and drinking. The two officers were immediately confronted by a small group of large men, and when they explained their reason for being there, the crowd began to flood past them and up the stairs to the exit.
The two officers were unable to hold back the crowd, estimated to be about 30 people. By the time reinforcements arrived, only five party-goers were still on the scene. They will receive a corona-fine of €750 for taking part in an illegal gathering.
The officers were not hurt during the altercation. The zone police chief, Jurgen De Landsheer, defended the situation where two officers were alone in confronting a room full of people.
“We have always worked that way,” he told the VRT. “We send two people out to see what is going on. If necessary, reinforcements can be requested. That happened here too, but the men started pulling and pushing. Little could be done about that. The safety of my people is paramount. Some of the men were not wearing a face mask. I don't want my people to get sick.”
Police will now attempt to trace the organisers of the party, who would face a much larger fine.
The video itself has been viewed 866,422 times since it was published on Sunday, with more than 8,000 likes.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
